


Promise Not to Tell

by victoria_p (musesfool)



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Post-Blue Lily Lily Blue, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4134291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesfool/pseuds/victoria_p
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ronan hadn't expected Adam and Blue to have any secrets <em>together.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Promise Not to Tell

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the Beatles. Thanks to Laura for looking it over.

Ronan knew everyone had secrets and that Adam was no exception. He figured Blue had secrets of her own, and he had no interest in plumbing those depths himself--that was for Gansey, if he ever got up the nerve to do more than talk to her in the middle of the night when he thought no one else was awake.

But Ronan hadn't expected Adam and Blue to have any secrets _together_. He hadn't held it against her (much) when she was dating Adam, if only because he'd been there for most of their dates, and it seemed to have ended before it ever really started. She was the type of girl he might have liked as a sister, if he'd ever thought of having a sister. 

But he'd stalked into Monmouth after another unsuccessful round of trying to wake the cows at the Barns, and Adam and Blue had sprung apart guiltily, and she kept shooting concerned looks at him.

"It's not what you think," Noah said, appearing in Ronan's room as he changed. 

"I don't think anything," Ronan said, not bothering to unbutton his shirt. Instead, he tore it off over his head and tossed it to the floor. He could imagine Adam tsking at him over treating an expensive shirt so badly, but he was out of fucks to give at the moment.

He took a deep breath, fists clenching and unclenching, and reminded himself that he had no claim on Adam, that Adam didn't look at him the way he looked at Adam, and that he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of showing that he cared. He fumbled with the latch on Chainsaw's cage and she cawed impatiently at him. He muttered in response and let her out. She flapped at him in annoyance and he said, "I know how you feel."

"It's about Gansey," Noah said, and that knocked the wind out of Ronan's sails.

He flung himself back out into the living room while he was still pulling his t-shirt on over his head, and they both turned to stare at him.

"What?" he snapped, going into the bathroom and opening the fridge. He grabbed a beer, imagined Adam's disapproving face again, and put it back. He took a Coke instead. 

Noah had vanished. Adam and Blue were sitting on the floor; Adam was not reading the textbook in his lap and Blue was frowning at the cereal-box version of Henrietta like she was having ideas about fixing it. Having seen her wardrobe, Ronan was vaguely interested in what she might do. Gansey might even deserve it.

"What?" he said again, throwing himself into the armchair and popping open his soda.

Blue and Adam exchanged glances. Ronan could feel the anxiety rolling off them and it was making him tense. Chainsaw cawed again and then flapped over to Gansey's desk so she could rummage through his papers.

"It's about Gansey," Blue said in a rush. 

"Blue's under a curse," Adam said at the same time. 

Blue frowned. "That's not what I would have led with."

"Are you a werewolf?" Ronan asked, picking the more interesting part to pursue. "Because that might actually be cool."

"What? No." Blue looked nonplussed. "Werewolves aren't real." She pursed her lips and reconsidered. "At least, I don't think they are."

There was a rush of cold air as Noah reappeared at Blue's side. She was his favorite. Or she made him more real when she was around, so Ronan couldn't blame him. "If Blue kisses her true love, he'll die," he said. 

Ronan froze. It sounded ridiculous, like a fairytale curse made up by an overprotective mother, but he'd seen stranger things. Hell, he _was_ stranger things. Then he smiled. "You don't have to _kiss_. I'll have a talk with Gansey. Give him some tips."

Adam snorted. 

Ronan raised a disdainful eyebrow at him. "You doubt my game?"

"I think you're playing in a whole other league," Adam answered easily.

"Okay," Blue interrupted. "This is all very cute, but you can flirt on your own time. We have some important things to discuss while Gansey's at the library." She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "You asked me why my voice was on Gansey's recorder back when this whole thing started."

"Yeah." He gestured for her to keep talking.

"Every year, on St. Mark's Eve, we go to the abandoned church on the corpse road and take down the names of the spirits that appear. They're the spirits of people who will die in the coming year." She swallowed hard. Adam opened his mouth to interrupt but she held up a hand and nodded, as if to herself. "You know I'm not psychic. But I saw Gansey. Gansey's spirit. That night."

Ronan set his soda down on the floor and sat up straight.

"Neeve said that the only reason I would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve is if he's my true love, or if I'm going to kill him."

"Shit." He glanced over at Adam, but Adam didn't seem upset by this revelation. Was this why they'd broken up? He shook himself and refocused on the problem. "So don't kiss him."

"Duh." He kind of admired how much scorn Blue put into the sound. "But Adam and I both saw--in the vision tree in Cabeswater--" She shook her head and blinked furiously. Ronan was relieved by her dedication to not crying. 

Adam looked down. He wouldn't meet Ronan's gaze. 

"My mother says the church watch is a promise, not a guarantee, but--"

"Yeah," Ronan said. "Okay." He picked up his soda, and held his other arm out for Chainsaw, who flew over and perched on his shoulder with a curious caw. "What's the plan?"

"Glendower," Blue said.

At the same time, Adam said, "The favor."

Ronan paused. He and Gansey had been planning to ask for Noah's life. "Noah?"

"I appreciate the thought," he said, "but I'm with Blue and Adam."

"Okay." Ronan took another sip of his soda. It was disgustingly sweet. He should have had a beer like he'd wanted to.

"You can't tell him," Blue said, leaning forward, her arms clasped around her knees.

"I'm not going to lie to him, maggot." His mouth twisted into a sneer. "Seems like he's had enough of that, don't you think?"

"No one's asking you to lie," she answered sharply. "Just don't say anything."

"A lie of omission is still a lie."

Adam frowned. "Don't be a dick, Ronan."

"I'm not the one who knew about this since fucking April." He glared at Adam. "How long have you known?"

Adam had no trouble meeting his gaze now. "I only found out recently. Just before Persephone," he glanced over at Blue, "died."

Ronan grimaced and then pointed at Blue. "But you've known this whole time."

She raised her chin and returned his stare with her own. "Yes." Her fingers curled in the shredded material of her tights. "Telling him would be cruel. Especially after Malory told me about how he can be about death."

"Obsessive," Adam said. 

"Anxious," she added. "He worries about us. Can't we just handle this one thing for him?"

It was on the tip of Ronan's tongue to make a crude joke, but instead he grunted. "If he asks me, I'm telling him. I'm not going to lie. But I won't say anything. For now." He stood and they both scrambled to their feet with him. 

"We're going to fix this," Adam said, shining with all the confidence that had been growing in him since he'd made his bargain with Cabeswater. 

Ronan was determined to prove him right.


End file.
